i'll weave your names into my ribcage
by ptrpan89
Summary: the (gender neutral) farmer's thoughts on their favorite ladies. title from the last lost continent by la dispute
1. leah

She doesn't pressure you. She doesn't want you to be anyone you're not. On your first day Lewis suggested you meet everyone in town. That's a lot of people, a lot of social interaction. You don't even know where to find most people at any given time. Clearing your farm of debris, cleaning your house, and managing your budget while still trying to turn a profit quickly becomes overwhelming.

She grips the back of your neck gently, massages. Presses her lips to your temple and tells you to take your time. She gives you artwork she is most proud of. She stays close of saloon night, continues or ends conversations with the villagers when you social battery has died. You explore the forest together, have picnics, and soak up nature's essence. She becomes your safe place, your shield. You become her biggest fan, her constant source of encouragement.

You lay on top of your roof together, breath the fresh air, make shapes of the clouds, and listen to the rustle of leaves. She tells you she never imagined she could be this happy. Neither did you.


	2. penny

You have always been a quiet individual. So has she. She is never as verbose as when she's passionate about something. Tutoring the children is exhausting and noble and fills her with pride and satisfaction. She is one of the most intelligent and emotionally strong people you have ever met.

You ask why she stays with her mother. She says the woman she lives with is rarely her mother but she stays for the moments when she is. You want to take care of her but she doesn't need that. She just wants support. You make yourself stronger for her.

You get the bus fixed for the town, for yourself, mostly to get her mother out of the trailer and out of the saloon. Her smiles get brighter, her burden lessens. You sit with your feet in the river, her hand in your hand, and her head on your shoulder. She thanks you for sticking around, for doing what you've done, for taking care of her.


	3. abigail

She would like you to think her fearless, mysterious, and independent. She could be, in time. Becoming an adult is a never ending, thankless task. It was exceedingly frustrating for you too.

You teach her to be safe, she gives you quiet walks and nights in. you teach her to be grateful, she makes your favorite dish. She tests your patience; she gives you an emerald worry stone. You play music together in the rain, she shows you peace. She learns that she is, in fact, special. She practices her magic on your property. The first thing she does is enchant her armor and sword for added protection.

She starts giving back to the community, acting as escort for anyone hunting ores and metals, completing monster eradication goals, working part time at her father's shop. She chews gems on your porch, utterly fascinated with the falling rain, and tells you she doesn't think the valley is so dull anymore. Neither of you quite fit in this place but you fit with each other.


	4. maru

She says you need to talk about something. Immediately, you're nervous. You love her, you love her family. Her father is sweet, if awkward. He put bats in your cave and they leave all sorts of fruits for you. Her brother has become yours, too. He doesn't expect you to fill the silence with meaningless chatter; he set up your computer and internet, he teaches you to play tabletop games. Her mother took you under her wing, made you her third child, helped you repair your farm buildings, showed you how to build a rolling cart for your harvests, became the mother you never had.

Her mother has also been trying to set the two of you up

She says she loves you but like a best friend, like a sister. She says she has never and probably will never have romantic feelings for anyone. She uses the word aromantic, tells you what it means. You're relieved because you don't feel that way for her, either.

You thank her for her trust. Tell her you're different, too. You use the word autism; tell her what it means for you. She smiles, hugs you. Not for too long, you're still working on physical contact. The next day she gives you a keychain she constructed. A tiny rubix cube, a clicker, and a miniature stress ball hang from a leather strap. She calls it a stim toy and you hug her for almost a full minute this time.


End file.
